Michelle Minnikin's Linkedin Analytics

As an army brat, I moved about a bit. I used to have a Northern Irish accent - I can’t even do one now in improv classes. I decided that I wanted to be a Criminal Psychologist like Cracker (Hagrid catching serial killers). I was at university before I realised that this wasn't a job. Oops. Then I almost joined the army. I thankfully discovered organisational psychology and thought that doing a masters would be a less muddy option. And to be fair, ironing is not my strength. With all my fancy qualifications, I set off on my career in organisational psychology, recruitment, coaching and personal development. It wasn't all I was promised. I had some some really crappy experiences with incompetent bosses, pointless bureaucracy and fragile egos. It felt broken. I jumped/was pushed from the corporate train in 2016 and since then, I’ve been in charge of my own career. I then had to figure out how to keep my most favourite Christmas present (my son Oliver) and I in Kit Kats while I learned how to do this self-employment thing. 2018 was a big year for me. Discovering Sam Conniff’s Be More Pirate helped me realise that I didn't need anyone’s permission to start a mutiny to make work better. After reading Playing Big and training with Tara Mohr, I realised that there are too many awesome humans just waiting for someone to give them permission to share their brilliance with the world. (If you are reading this - You have permission!) And I met James. We thought we’d start a podcast (because he has the most amazing voice!). Inspiration North, our first venture was launched and we had lots of fun creating podcasts, running events, delivering happiness programmes and coaching. A year later we fell in love (awww). I only figured out in 2020 that I’m neurodivergent (I thought I was just weird!). This realisation was the final piece of the jigsaw. I figured out who I am. So we thought it was about time to do something that the world needs. More Work Pirates. I love helping aspiring work pirates find the courage to unf*ck work by helping them re-write the rules and start their own mutinies. Jettisoning meaningless “Company Values” and helping organisations write their governing principles (or Pirate Codes) so they can attract, hire and develop the right crew for them is my idea of fun. And because I enjoy a challenge… I have written a book to help women deprogramme themselves from their ‘good girl conditioning’ and start their own rebellions to build a world that works for everyone. Out November 2023!